Sure Thailand is a holiday destination . Remember Spain big in holiday destination in 80s/90s after other holiday destinations took over like Turkey , Greece , or further away destinations like Thailand but also Caribian ( Dominican Republic... ) , and so was said that glory days for Spanish tourism was gone . And yet , a few years later tourists are back . Thailand might have some difficult years , but tourism was doing good before Covid , and will do good again after . Why ? Simple , everything is there . Hotels everywhere , plenty of flights ( not right now ) , easy travel inside Thailand , relative safe , nightlife and plenty of others who went before ( it is always welcome to hear direct comment on a new holiday destination) .

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

At least enjoying a cannabis cup of tea might put a smile back on their faces!!! 

Smells nasty and has no active ingredient to make you smile

Regardless of how easy or hard it is to  enter, many places are still closed. The average tourist would be disappointed anyway. Only the hardcore Thailand lovers are going in under these conditions.

Dubai is attracting sophisticated tourists. Thailand continues to attract those looking for cheap bars and girls.

Narrator: Cheap food, cheap booze, cheap sex...no they never will go off...

Great headline, lol

3 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Why are you repeating this myth?

 

Stay in your ASH hotel until you test negative.

 

DOH. ????

I watched as a family of 6 Russians were carted off to the hospital last night after one of them was positive on their second test. I personally know two other people this happened to. They did, eventually, wind up in hospitels at their own expense. Calling it a "myth" is irresponsible and cruel.

Being a snowbird with around 30 years of Thailand , I was quite amazed, and upset, to see the shambles I have come back to ! I am honestly taken aback by what I see, everything , everywhere, looks like an abandoned shanty town. Turn your back on the beach , and the dream is gone .

I see many , like myself, totally surprised and disappointed. How the authorities have let this happen is a mystery. If anything stops tourists coming , it will be what they have seen today. 

For me the government can continue the same for another year! Never been a better time for me personally to stay in Thailand! Easy and cheep travelling around, still the best restaurants, and a drink or two have so far not been a problem to find or a place to enjoy! 

 

But I feel for everyone who suffer because of the restrictions. However I'm one of many who had to close my oversea business during these times, a decision I made in August 2020 and have lost millions in income since that time. But it was my choice to not leave Thailand during this time, so really a luxury problem instead of a real problem.

 

Still I have enjoyed Thailand Alot more than I had for a long long time.

7 hours ago, smedly said:

How does Thailand recover its tourism and also stop the mass exodus of expats/retieies from leaving

What makes you think the government wants to? No sign of that at all.

7 hours ago, ukrules said:

When there's zero restrictions things will return to normal.

 

Until that day comes then it's not happening. I think it will happen sooner than most people think - as in this year.

Do you actually believe there will be zero restrictions to enter Thailand, even this year?

I hope you are right, but I think there will always be some sort of insurance scam as it makes for good financials for the soldiers government.

Or even a proper government sometime in the future.

6 hours ago, Soikhaonoiken said:

You can bet 100% that tourist will stop coming to Thailand if this unelected Government want to continue the nonsense of restrictions for entry, 

As the report stated, there are still other places in the world to visit with less hassle.... 

Not only the restrictions but the thought of people growing their own grass has me worried. Our accident rates are among the highest in the world, so lets make it higher???

Probably next winter, barring another bad variant of COVID, restrictions will end, and life will return to as normal as can be. 

 

It may take a few years for the tourist #s to return pre-COVID.

5 hours ago, ukrules said:

This is the bit that will change over the course of this year, some countries will lag by many months

 

In the UK we already see all restrictions being removed by the end of February which is just 3 weeks away.

 

For the more backward thinking countries it will take longer but they're not going to want to miss another high season - this is why it ends this year unless a new 'variant' which is measurably far worse.

 

 

"In the UK we already see all restrictions being removed by the end of February which is just 3 weeks away".

Do you mean "all" the restrictions? Exactly the way it was before the pandemic started? Again, I hope you are right.

5 hours ago, Hayduke said:

 

Western tourists will never go off visiting Thailand. In fact, quite the contrary. There are many reasons…

 

Simple, transparent, user-friendly visa procedures.

Supportive, welcoming, 'jai dee' government.

Uniform and fair application of common sense rules and regulations.

Reasonable prices for all tourist services.

Honesty and integrity of tourist-related businesses.

Unspoiled natural attractions.

Incorruptible security and world-class public safety.

 

Yes…without question…untold multitudes of well-heeled, free-spending, quality farangs will be soon be arriving...to much TAT fanfare.

 

 

I take it your post is meant to be joke

2 hours ago, Mike Galley said:

Declare Covid 19 to be endemic, lift all restrictions and result can be seen.

Make it also easier for expats to stay here and Thailand will be back on the top. 

The soldier posing as a PM and his Junta don't have the education or brains to see that.

As for Chuckle Brother no2, he is properly educated, but in engineering, not qualified to be a Health Minister. 

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

Couldn't find cheap sex as a reason why Thailand is so popular. 

https://www.asiahighlights.com/thailand/why-thailand-is-so-popular

Eric my friend, you gotta read more, here is an article you may trust. I copied relevant section as well.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_tourism

A number of countries have become popular destinations for sex tourism, including Brazil,[4][5] Costa Rica,[6][7][8] the Dominican Republic,[9] the Netherlands (particularly Amsterdam),[10][11] Kenya,[12] Colombia, Thailand,[13] 

Last week 7000+ positive cases.

Yesterday 14000+

An increase by 100%

Open everything up and later blame ( the farang ), of course.

Nobody is mentioning the elephant in the room with respect to Thailand, which is China - a country that has been blockaded for about two years having gone for zero covid with arguably less effective vaccines and less than half of the population vaccinated. When they open fully, if they can ever open, covid will run wild and fast. That could lead to yet another wave in next door countries, including Thailand, now that there is a rail link through Laos with a change at Vientiane. Lets see.

People tourists retirees ect will always come  to Thailand

Yes would help the easing of paperwork involved  on the Covi for arrivals 

 

But Thailand has everything to offer  scenery Temples.golf courses good restaurants and resorts in Phuket Koh Samui and so on????

 

  plus the girls and bar scene in places like Pattaya for those interested 

It has everything to cater for people's different tastes and still a cheap place to come

1 hour ago, lujanit said:

 

The way the Junta has performed, now the Land of Stupidity.

8 hours ago, webfact said:

At least enjoying a cannabis cup of tea might put a smile back on their faces!!! 

Not only available in Bangkok, it was also on sale at Robinsons in Sri Racha yesterday. 

I was looking at the Philippine's recently and for sure they have some wonderful beaches and exotic islands. Don't know if the infrastructure is as good and the weather is definitely more than a little dodgy sometimes. However it still looks great.

I've been trying to plan for my retirement stint there, but as long as there is a risk of being forced into a medical incarceration that my insurance won't cover, I have to say I can't do it. I'm not going to serve myself up for a likely multi-thousand-dollar con.

The present government is doing all it can to keep tourists away.  One of the few things it has succeeded at.

The Thai 'Elite' have never liked hordes of 'dirty, rude farangs' swarming over their temples and palaces, taking their women, etc..  Covid has given them and their puppet government an excuse to keep all these Faragns away, and they will not give that up.

Look to Vietnam for beaches, Philippines for girls', Indonesia for both, and Thailand's future looks grim.  Plenty of unemployed men for the army, and women for cheap servants for the rich.  It might be what they want.

There is just one in this world...

 

5 hours ago, twix38 said:

I am just waiting until I can return without any restrictions except a PCR test to enter without any quarantine for vaccinated folk.

 

Then I will return to sort out my affairs and complete my relocation back to uk permanently. Far too many downsides to living in Thailand and I did that for 13 years.

 

Pollution, pesticides, poor air quality, hospitals not actually competent often in my experience, Sun exposure damage build up often under estimated, flipping street dogs, xenophobic population, jumping through immigration hoops, 2 tier pricing and ripoff, dangerous driving, political shambles, exch rate and no longer cheap....so much more, but I'll stop there.

 

Just waiting to return to leave for good!!

Interesting you have to come back to leave, have fun in the UK.

28 minutes ago, RandiRona said:

Eric my friend, you gotta read more, here is an article you may trust. I copied relevant section as well.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_tourism

A number of countries have become popular destinations for sex tourism, including Brazil,[4][5] Costa Rica,[6][7][8] the Dominican Republic,[9] the Netherlands (particularly Amsterdam),[10][11] Kenya,[12] Colombia, Thailand,[13] 

It is an image that the government is trying to re-brand. Fortunately it is not the main reason for many tourists visiting Thailand. Profession is ever evolving but not the world oldest profession. They will always be places for some hanky panky in Thailand. 

4 hours ago, leither69 said:

Only for guys on holiday.  Previously it was long stayers

I reckon most of the "long stayers" actually shoot their load quite quickly...

4 hours ago, leither69 said:

Only for guys on holiday.  Previously it was long stayers

I reckon most of the "long stayers" actually shoot their load quite quickly...